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Drinking Arak Off An Ayatollah's Beard A Journey Through The Inside Out Worlds Of Iran And AfghanistanStock informationGeneral Fields
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DescriptionAn engrossing blend of travel writing and history, Drinking Arak off an Ayatollahs Beard traces one mans adventure-filled journey through todays Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia, and describes his remarkable attempt to make sense of the present by delving into the past. Setting out to gain insight into the lives of Iranians and Afghans today, Nicholas Jubber is surprised to uncover the legacy of a vibrant pre-Islamic Persian culture that has endured even in times of the most fanatic religious fundamentalism. Everywhere-from underground dance parties to religious shrines to opium dens-he finds powerful and unbreakable connections to a time when both Iran and Afghanistan were part of the same mighty empire, when the flame of Persian culture lit up the world. Whether through his encounters with poets and cab drivers or run-ins with pleasure daughters and mujahideen, again and again Jubber is drawn back to the eleventh-century Persian epic, the Shahnameh (Book of Kings). Reviews"Engrossing and highly enjoyable...a sumptuous, entertaining, and informative historical romp."-Spectator "An inspiring madness, bright with medieval fervor for the obscure, yet softened by skepticism and unflagging humor...the modern mystical travelogue has here been given new life."-Independent on Sunday" |